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Andrew Martin might not have been born to be a corporate trainer but he's been developing the skills needed for the job since his teens.

Martin was engaging in public speaking and peer-led youth development programs throughout high school. He launched his own consulting firm at age 20 while studying business at the DeVry Institute of Technology.

Today, working from his home base in Calgary, Martin conducts training sessions for companies ranging from banks, airlines and resource businesses to software development companies.

His biggest client is Corporate Explorer Training, a Vancouver-based company that offers experiential learning activities to a blue-chip client list across North America and the United Kingdom.

"I'm fine with classroom training using whiteboards and PowerPoint," says Martin. "But I've found that hands-on training based in actual experience has more impact, sinks in better and lasts longer than simply talking to someone or getting them to read a handout."

With Corporate Explorer Training, Martin leads groups of as many as to 100 people in programs lasting up to two days. Clients choose from activities that range from the construction of a gun that fires potatoes to a kidnapping rescue simulation. The activities help to foster teamwork, promote leadership and develop conflict resolution skills.

One of his favourite activities is a boat building challenge in which teams are given a budget of $35, which can be used to purchase sheets of cardboard, box cutters, markers and tape. The activity simulates a product launch, from budgeting to design, sourcing materials, delegating responsibility, assembly and delivering the prototype.

"They decide whether to spend their budget all at once or hold some in reserve," he says. "They can even 'hire' an expert boat building consultant from our staff."

The boats are eventually launched anywhere from hotel pools to the Pacific Ocean or Lake Louise, depending on the program venue.

"Sometimes the CEO of the team is less fiscally responsible than front-line staff members who often have a better grasp on budgeting, planning and team building," he says. "They normally charge hard for the finish line but their boats may not be water-worthy. So it isn't always the CEO who is better at on-the-ground execution of a task or who emerges as the most effective leader of the challenge."

Martin has developed expertise in identifying basic personality archetypes in classes and works with that information to leverage the experience, teaching lessons in leadership, communication, team building, issue identification and conflict resolution.

"The most worthwhile skill I've developed is the ability to take high-level abstract theory and boil it down into a memorable message, giving participants something solid to take away to use in their lives or jobs," he says. "If you want me back next year to explain the same thing to the same people, it isn't a sign of success — it would mean I hadn't done my job effectively."

Martin recommends that people interested in working as corporate trainers learn from experience. "Watch and learn from the best trainers and then develop a style that is authentic for you," he says. "Once you're in the field on your own, branding and developing a solid reputation are the keys to success. This business is referral-driven. Even if you expect to work with a client only once, treat them like gold."

Audie McCarthy, president and CEO of Mohawk College Enterprise (MCE), a corporate training provider associated with the college, says she's seeing continued demand for effective corporate trainers. MCE offers customized corporate training delivered by a mix of in-house staff instructors employed by the college and 10 contract trainers.

"Unless it's a very large organization, there isn't often enough work in a particular field to warrant a full-time corporate training position," she says.

Choosing from a large roster of contract trainers also allows the provider to match trainers to corporate clients, not only regarding subject matter, but also training style.

"We're just putting the call out now to expand our contract network," she says. "We're typically looking for experienced trainers with a broad range of skills who also run their own companies — people who aren't dependent on us but are flexible enough to meet our schedules."

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